Diaphragm vestibule construction for railway cars



Dec. 1,1936. DECKER 2,062,560

DIAPHRAGM VESTIBULE CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS- 2 Sheets-Sheet- 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1934 I Ffif.

VIIIIIIIIIIIM o WITNESSES;

TORNEYS.-

' H. L. DECKER DIAPHRAGM VESTIBULE CONSTRUCTI/ON FOR RAILWAY CARS Dec. 1, 1936.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5, 1934 I INVENTOR: Harry L.,D6 L]; I

WJTNEEgSaW Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES DIAPHRAGM VESTIBULE CONSTRUCTION FOR llAlLWAY CARS Barry L. Decker, Altoona, Pa., aasignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 5, 1934, Serial No. 705,392 12' Claims. (01. 105-15) This invention relates to diaphragm vestibules such as are commonly used on railway cars to form closed connecting passages "fbetween contiguous units of a train.

5 In car vestibules as ordinarily constructed, the

face plates to which the outer edges of the collapsible diaphragms are secured, are supp rted by rearwardly extending buffer stems confined to longitudinal movement in fixed guides on the 1 car bodies. By reason of this arrangement, the abutting faces of the'diaphragm plates of the contiguous vestibules are incapable of adapting themselves mutually to compensate for "differential or. contrary swaying and pitching of 15 the car ends in normal straight-away travel or for angular deviations of the cars incidentto rounding of track curves. Accordingly, under such conditions, the diaphragm face plates rub against each other, producing disagreeable grat- 20 ing noises, in addition to rattling caused by looseness of the parts and through binding'and straining action of the b er stems in their uid s- My invention is directed in the main toward overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks. that is to say: it has for its chief, aim the provision of a car vestibule structure wherein the diaphragm face plate is supported with capacity for stituent parts with a view toward further mini- 4 mization of the noises.

Still other objects and advantages of this invention will be manifest from the detailed description following of the' attached drawings, wherein Fig. I is a fragmentary view, partly in 45 side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of'a railway car conveniently embodying myimproved diaphragm vestibule construction.

Fig. 11 shows the vestibule in end elevation,

or as viewed from the left of Fig.- I, with a por- 59 tion thereof broken'away to expose important details which would otherwise be concealed.

with more detailed reference to these illustrations, the numeral 5 comprehensively desighates the diaphragm vestibule, whereof the diaphragm 8 hasits inner edge secured directly to the car end I and its outer end to the diaphragm face plate 8 in the customary manner.

In accordance with my invention, the .diaphragm face plate I is supported in suspension by a pair of hanger rods 9 disposed along oppo- 5 site sides thereof and inclined somewhat to the vertical when viewed from the side of the car as shown in Fig. I. The lower ends of the hanger rods 9, it will be observed, are respectively connected by pivot pins id to bracket pieces II .at 10 opposite ends of the lower cross member or buifer plate portion l2 of the diaphragm 'plate. The upper ends of the hanger rodsa slidingly engage apertured brackets l3 riveted to the car body at the top; and interposed between the tops of said brackets and collars ll on the rods 9, are cushioning springs ii. The tension of these cushioning springs l5 is'regulatable by means of nuts it which engage screw threads at the upper ends of the hanger rods 9.

As a means to yieldingly connect the diaphragm plate 8 t the car end I at the top, I have shown a m ti-leaf spring II which is secured centrally of the. upper cross portion or head ill of said face plate bya suitable clagnp means l9 and which has its ends engaging brackets 20 secured to the car body as shown in Fig. I.

At the bottom, the diaphragm plate a is fitted, after customary practice, with a pair oftransversely spaced buffer stems 2|. However, inso stead ofbeing of composite construction and confined to endwise movement in fixed guides as ordinarily, in accordance with my invention these bufl'er stems '2l are made in one piece and accorded free play to a very considerable extent in all directions within comparatively large frontal openings 22 in hollowhousings 23 into which they extend as'shown in Fig. I. The housings 23 may be integral with the. end sill 24 of the car as illustrated, or they may be sepited by flexible elements in the form of chains 28. Each such chain 28 has 'one. of its ends con-,- J nectedby a cross pin 2! to aplevised stud rivet 3| securedin the abutment head 25 of the corresponding bufl'er stem. 2i, and its other end 5' connected, likewise by a cross pin 3|, to a clevised bolt 32 engaged in the corresponding abutment bracket 21.

By virtue of the aforedescribed construction, the diaphragm face plate 8 is supported with capacity to move in and out, up or down or angularly in any direction from the normal position illustrated, the springs I5, I! and 26 yielding individually or collectively as required to accommodate such action, while the weight of the plate is sustainedsolely by the hanger rods 9. Accordingly, in a train, the contacting diaphragm face plates 8 of the vestibules of contiguous car ends can adjustthemselves mutually with avoidance of relative motion between them notwithstanding contrary swaying or pitching of said contiguous car ends during straight away travel of the train, or by reason of angular deviations of the cars incident to rounding of track curves. 'Under normal conditions of operation, the action of my improved vestibule construction is substantially noiseless, since frictional grating between contacting surfaces of the face plates of contiguous vestibules cannot occur, and moreover since looseness at the connections between the parts is at all times absorbed by the several springs l5, l1 and 26.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, means for supporting the face plate of the diaphragm with capacity for universal movement relative to the car end; and means to yieldingly resist such movement of the face plate, including a transversely positioned multi-leaf spring centrally secured to the upper or head portion of the face plate with its ends pivotally connected to the car body at the top, and a multiplicity of laterally spaced helical bufier springs interposed between the lower portion ofthe face plate and fixed anchorages on the car body, said springs being free to flex sidewise.

2. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, means for supporting the face. plate of the diaphragm with capacity for universal movement relative to the car end; and means to yieldingly resist such movement, including a transversely positioned leaf spring centrally secured to the upper or head portion of the face plate with its ends pivotally connected to .the car body, buifer stems secured in laterally spaced relation to the lower portion of the face plate and reaching inward therefrom, compression springs interposed between the inner ends of the buffer stems and fixed anchorages on the car body; and flexible means connecting the buffer stems with the anchorages to limit the outward movement of the face plate.

3. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, means for supporting the face plate of the diaphragm with capacity for universal movement relative to the car end; and means to yieldingly resist such movement of the face plate including a transversely positioned multi-leaf spring cen- 'trally secured to the upper or head portion of the face plate with its ends pivotally connected to the car at the top, laterally spaced buffer stems secured to the bottom portion of the face plate and reaching rearwardly therefrom, helical buffer springs interposed between the inner ends of the buffer stems and fixed anchorages on the car body, and flexible chain connectors within the springs and having their opposite ends secured respectively to the buffer stems and said fixed anchorages to limit the outward movement of th face plate.

4. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, means for supporting the face plate of the diaphragm with capacity for universal movement relative to the car end, including a pair of hanger rods with their lower ends pivotally connected to the bottom portion of the face plate and their upper ends slidingly engaging apertured brackets secured to the car body at the top, and cushioning springs interposed between the tops of thebrackets and collars at the upper ends of said rods; and means to yieldingly resist such movement of the face plate including a transverse multi-leaf spring centrally secured tothe upper or head portion of the face plate with its ends pivotally connected to the car at the top, a pair of laterally-spaced buffer stems secured to the bottom portion of the face plate and reaching inwardly therefrom, helical bufier springs interposed between the inner ends of the buffer stems and fixed anchorages on the car body, and means to limit the expansive movement of the' last mentioned buffer springs.

5. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, a face plate; yielding means connecting the face plate to the car body with capacity for in and out, angular and lateral movement relative to the car body; and pivot means by which the weight of the face plate is supported from the car body. 6. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, a face plate; yielding means connecting the face plate to the car body with capacity for in and out, angular and lateral movement relative to the car body; and pivot means by which the weight of the face plate at opposite sides thereof is supported from the car body.

'7. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, a

face plate; yielding means connecting the face plate centrally of its top and atlaterally spaced points at the bottom to the car body with capacity for universal movement relative to the latter; and pivot means by which the weight of the face plate at the sides thereof is supported from the car body.

8. In car vestibuleconstruction, a rectangular face plate; yielding means connecting the face plate centrally of its top and at its lower corners to the car body with capacity for universal movewhich the weight of the face plate at opposite sides thereof is supported from the car body.

9. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, a face plate; yielding means connecting the face plate to the car body with capacity for in and out, angular and lateral movement relative to the car body; and means for carrying the weight of the face plate at opposite sides thereof in the brackets secured to the car body and pivotally connected to the bottom of the face plate at their lower ends; and springs interposed between heads on the rods and the tops of the brackets.

11. In car vestibule diaphragm. construction, a face plate connected centrally at its top by a ment-relativeto the latter; and pivot means by compressible spring to the top of the car end; 1!

pivoted means for yieldingly supporting the face plate with capacity to swing sidewise aboutthe central top connection aforesaid; and laterally flexible compressible spring means connecting the lower corners of the face plate to the lower portion of the car end.

l2. In car vestibule diaphragm construction, a compressible spring connecting the face plate centrally of its top to the top of the car end; laterally yielding means connecting the bottom corners of the face plate with the bottom of the car end; and pivotally connected yielding hangers by which the weight of the face plate atoppqsite sides thereof is supported from the car body.

HARRY L. DECKER 

